Mustard Oil | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Mustard oil is a vegetable oil pressed or extracted from mustard seeds (Brassica juncea or related species), widely used as a cooking medium and flavouring agent in South Asian cuisine. It is characterised by a high erucic acid content (20–40% of total fatty acids in traditional varieties) as well as alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), giving it a pungent flavour and distinct nutritional profile.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

The primary safety concern with mustard oil is its naturally high erucic acid content; animal studies identify the heart as the principal target organ, with myocardial lipidosis as the critical chronic effect. EFSA established a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 7 mg erucic acid per kg body weight per day in 2016, and average adult exposure from typical diets is generally below this level. The FDA restricts the sale of expressed mustard oil as a cooking oil in the US due to erucic acid concerns, while India permits it as a traditional edible oil under FSSAI standards with a ban on blending with other oils to prevent adulteration.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Restricted	Mustard oil is permitted as a food ingredient in the EU but is subject to maximum erucic acid limits. General vegetable oils are capped at 20 g/kg erucic acid (as % of total fatty acids); a separate higher limit of 300 g/kg is proposed for mustard oil used specifically as a gastronomy flavouring. The TDI for erucic acid is 7 mg/kg bw/day. Limits for infant formula are set 5× lower. Erucic acid classified as a contaminant requiring monitoring.source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) / Food Standards Scotland (FSS) (United Kingdom)	Restricted	The UK FSA adopted the EFSA 2016 TDI of 7 mg/kg bw/day for erucic acid as the basis for risk assessment post-Brexit. Mustard oil is permitted but erucic acid levels are monitored; the FSA conducted a rapid risk assessment in 2022 regarding erucic acid exposure.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Restricted	Expressed mustard oil (pressed from mustard seed, used as cooking oil) is subject to FDA Import Alert 26-04; it may be detained without physical examination due to erucic acid content of 20–40%. It is NOT approved as a cooking oil. Volatile/essential mustard oil (steam-distilled) is GRAS as a flavouring agent under 21 CFR 182.20.source
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Infants — EFSA identified infants and children up to 10 years as the population most at risk from erucic acid; infant formula erucic acid limits are set 5× lower than for other foods, and high-erucic mustard oil is contraindicated for infant feeding.

Children — EFSA's 2016 opinion found that highly exposed children up to age 10 may face long-term health risks from erucic acid, as their relative intake per kg body weight is proportionally higher than adults.

Heart Disease — The heart is the principal target organ of erucic acid toxicity, with myocardial lipidosis identified as the critical chronic effect; individuals with pre-existing cardiac conditions should consult a doctor before regular consumption of high-erucic mustard oil.

Pregnancy — High erucic acid intake during pregnancy is a precautionary concern given animal evidence of cardiac toxicity; low-erucic (canola-type) variants are preferred during pregnancy.

Other — Individuals with mustard allergy should avoid mustard oil entirely, as mustard protein residues can trigger allergic reactions in sensitised individuals (noted in EFSA assessment of mustard-derived ingredients).

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FSANZ. Erucic Acid in Food: A Toxicological Review and Risk Assessment. foodstandards.gov.au
2FDA. Import Alert 26-04: Detention Without Physical Examination of Expressed Mustard Oil, 2026. accessdata.fda.gov
3PubMed. Erucic acid exposure during the first year of life—Scenarios with precise food-based dietary guidelines (PMC8751447), 2022. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4FSSAI. Ban on blending of mustard oil with any other oil – FSSAI Direction (September 2020), 2020. fssai.gov.in
5EFSA. Erucic acid in feed and food – Scientific Opinion of the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM), 2016. efsa.europa.eu

Independently researched5 citations